Advice needed asap please. Your best tips for getting blood out of unwilling veins! Nurse coming in an hour.

[IncompleteSenten]

I need regular blood tests. Among my many, many health problems I have heart failure and chronic kidney disease. I'm housebound and the nurses come to me to take blood.
They rarely get any but my potassium is abnormally high which the GP says is dangerous given my situation and they need to check it.

I drink as much water as I can possibly manage, I use a wheat bag on my arm and hand. When they have no luck with my arm they have a go at the back of my hand.

Is there anything else at all I can try? I do the things they suggest and out of the last 5 times they've been they got blood once and it wasn't enough to do the tests they needed to do.

They were here yesterday and got nothing after trying 3 places. They'll be here at about 11 to try again

Two hours ISH not one. They said late morning.

Go for a brisk walk immediately before and swing your arms round! I've been know to do this in the waiting room 🙈 embarrassing but worked for me. Plus, when you find someone who can do it well, always ask for them!

And keep clenching your fist beforehand too, good luck!

I can't do the walking but I can certainly try swinging my arms about. I do the first clench unclench thing and that doesn't help but I'll do some arm spinning and see what happens. 😁 Thanks.

So sorry, in my haste I missed you are housebound. Anything you can do physically to move your arm and get your heart rate up just before?

If you can, try some quick exercise to get the blood pumping. Jumping on the spot/star jumps

Dangle your arm downwards - for even for 30 seconds or more - just as the nurse is about to put the needle in.

Plus lots of water as you are doing - I've needed both exercise and water to get mine going

Thanks. I'll try all I can. Wish me luck.
Or rather, wish the nurse luck 😁

In the future, make sure they know you are difficult to get blood from. I am notoriously difficult with bloods. They tend to assign me the nurse who can get blood from anyone. He gets it first go every time. Practitioner skill can make a huge difference.

Agree- physical exercise will improve circulation.

Other things to try (now or in future);
Compression stockings
Decrease stress
Massage
Increase iron intake
Healthy diet
improve general fitness
maintain healthy weight
Green tea
Hot bath before blood taken

Just a small suggestion, as well as a wheat bag, use a blanket tucked round the whole of the top half of your body and round your arms. You want all those veins full.
My veins are very poor after years of blood tests and infusions. My IVs always pack up unless I tuck a warm blanket round my whole arm.
Do they use a butterfly needle and syringe?
Those vacuum sets can be useless on poor veins because the vacuum is too strong and the veins collapse. These days, with me, the phlebotomist just puts the butterfly in straight away and uses gentle suction. I used to do that myself back in the days when I was working.

Are you nice and warm? My blood donation attempts are usually more successful in the warmer months or when I've got multiple jumpers on and wait until the last possible minute to get my arm out. I think my veins hide away when it's cold.

If it makes you feel any better lots of nurses seem to enjoy the challenge of my difficult veins and get some professional satisfaction from successfully extracting blood from me. Think of yourself as adding a bit of excitement to their day.

🤣 it is apparently a badge of honour among them. Im wearing a jumper and have a little heater next to me.

Plenty of water and warm veins.

You might need professional advice, but you could try a tai chi /chi gong warm-up exercise. The particular one I'm thinking is around 5 minutes in on this video, but really the while would be good if you can manage it:

I’m exactly the same as you but have no advice. Currently having immunotherapy so have had to have a picc line put in for putting the stuff in but also taking blood out.

Keep hydrated, keep warm, and don't get yourself worked up about it - easier said than done I know. If the bloods are going to be very regular due to your health issues could they perhaps consider inserting a cannula. It would save the constant hunting for a vein, but obviously would itself need looking after. GL.

Good luck OP!

I’m similarly afflicted. Water is your friend - when I think I’ve drunk enough, I have another glass for good measure. And ask them to bring a butterfly needle.

But not much else works for me!

I’m the same so feel your pain. Warm hands, pumping fist beforehand and drinking water help me. But above all, a skilled practitioner.

1. Keep warm.
2. Hydrate.
3. Nurse must be experienced. I have to ask for a specific nurse in my clinic. The others left me wirh punctures.

Same here. I've had it taken from my feet before now. Move as much as possible. Get overheated. Water

I have deep veins, if I'm giving blood I make sure I keep warm, drink plenty, clench and relax my fists.. good luck

In my phlebotomy days we had afternoon domiciliary appointments for the harder to bleed patients which community nurses struggled with. We were experienced with paeds and renal patients who have tiny veins.
May be worth asking if that's a service that still exists/ in your area.

OP has heart failure. I don't think star jumps are a good idea.